Cognitive Testing

Formal cognitive testing may be beneficial for people with MS to determine if changes are present as well as relative areas of strength and weakness. Testing may be beneficial to help people compensate for abnormalities and may also be helpful for determination of disability when cognition is a significant factor.

Formal cognitive testing may take up to several hours. During cognitive testing, various cognitive tasks that use different types of brain functions are assessed. This can help sort out patients' issues related to:

Memory

Attention

Information processing

Visual spatial skills

Language

Memory

Intelligence

Measures of mood

We prefer that cognitive testing be conducted by a specialized psychologist having MS familiarity (see block to the right). Otherwise, testing is best done by a professional that focuses on patients following head injury. Please verify your insurance coverage with your provider before scheduling an appointment.

Note: Testing approaches for treating those with degenerative dementias like Alzheimer's or formal vocational testing done in a school may not be as useful.

*Disclaimer: This information is provided by the Pittsburgh Institute for Multiple Sclerosis Care and Research team and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on 6/23/2015. Our full Website Terms of Use page can be found here.